Dodd Middle School Student's Musings

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Is it fair that animals around the world are suffering? Every day an animal is being beaten or neglected. This may involve beating, stabbing, shooting animals and even setting them on fire. I think this is wrong and should be stopped immediately. Also these animals are neglected like, not giving them necessary food, water, shelter and vet care. Most of these animals are dying everyday. Some examples of animal abuse would be dog fighting, puppy mills, animal hoarding, farm animal welfare, horse slaughter, and any other animal issues.

Dog fighting is when dogs are forced to defend themselves against other dogs for profit or entertainment of other people. This is wrong and a terrible thing to do to any animal. These animals are held in isolation and spend their time on heavy chains. They are pushed in many ways under bad conditions. For example, “They are regularly conditioned for fighting through the use of drugs, including anabolic steroids to enhance muscle mass and encourage aggressiveness,”(The Criminal, Underground World of Dog Fighting). Even though dogfighting is illegal in every state, people are still doing it for money.

Animal hoarding is when a person has too many animals in one house at a time and can’t take care of all of them, which leads to neglect between the animals. They should not have this many pets which is unfair to the animals. They each need personal attention throughout the day. This person may deny that they have so many animals which can be a sign of animal hoarding. Another sign would be, “They have numerous animals and may not know the total number of animals in their care. Their home is deteriorated (i.e., dirty windows, broken furniture, holes in the wall and floor, extreme clutter), and also there is a strong smell of ammonia, and floors may be covered with dried feces, urine, vomit, etc,”(A Complex Issue). All of the animal abuse should be stopped immediately before another animal dies of suffrage. In conclusion I believe animal abuse is the worst thing you can do to an animal. It is not fair that they are being beaten and stabbed. These animal are dying everyday which should not be happening. They are pets and living things not something to make money off of. They should be taken care of by an owner who actually cares about them. The things these animals are going through should be stopped immediately. I hope you too understand why we should take action by helping animal shelters that rescue these animals.

I bet you didn’t know that there is over an estimated 26 million animals in the United States that get tested every year. They are used to determine whether a medication, that is used for a humans, areis toxic or not. Whenever animals are used for testing they are food and water deprived or they are forced fed, and sometimes will get burns and cuts on purpose just so they can test out the medication. Rats, mice, fish, and birds, which is 95% of the animals used in testing, are not protected by the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act is the protection for animals from testing. Just because the medications pass the animal testing doesn’t mean it is good for humans to use. 94% of the medicine that is approved for animals is eventually failed in the human testing clinic.

I feel we need to put a stop to animal testing. If we don’t do it to humans then why is it fair to do it to the animals? Just because we don’t want humans to get hurt doesn’t mean we need to hurt animals. Scientist need to come up with a better way to test medicines so that no one is being harmed. How would you feel if someone was testing you with stuff that does not benefit you at all? This is a cruel act to do to an innocent animal that has not done anything to harm you. Guess how many animals die a year from testing. Approximately 100 million animals die a year, just in the United States, from animal testing including mice, rats, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, monkeys, fish, and birds. Is this how we treat animals?

For my blog post this quarter, I have decided to write about therapy dogs and how they help those who need it most. Therapy dogs are dogs that are trained to provide affection and comfort to people in places such as hospitals and nursing homes. There are three basic types of therapy dogs. The first type of therapy dogs are called “Therapeutic Visitation” dogs. These are common household pets whose owners take them to visit different places such as hospitals, nursing homes, detention facilities and rehabilitation facilities. Visitation dogs helps people who are away from their family due to mental or physical illnesses and make them feel loved. These truly special dogs help brighten the day of those who are away from their loved ones. The second type of therapy dogs are called “Animal Assisted Therapy” dogs. Animal Assisted Therapy dogs help improve a patient’s mental, physical, social and emotional state. There are many different settings that they may visit. The most common places where dogs make their appearance are hospitals, nursing homes and therapeutic boarding schools for teens. However, there is a reason why the dogs take an adventure in a place like hospitals. Some are involved with specific therapeutic goals, such as assisting with patients who are working towards gaining motion in some limbs and increase their motor control by completing an easy task such as basic pet care skills. Finally, the last type of therapy dog is called a “Facility Therapy Dog”. These dogs mainly work in nursing homes. They are often trained to help keep patients with diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease from getting into trouble. These types of dogs usually live at the facility.

I think that therapy dogs are so important to the community. They can give someone so much love that they may be missing in their life. These extraordinary dogs help people deal with depression, anxiety, cancer and so much more. They are there to listen, to comfort and to love without judgement. There is a sort of feeling that that is hard find with other people and it helps some open up. There are so many ways that therapy dogs help everyone around them. Depression and anxiety have recently become a big part of lives all across the world. Those with depression try to avoid the outside world because of the fear and stress of what may happen. “Anxiety and depression involve emotional turmoil and negative internal ‘self-talk,’” Dr. Katie Kangas, co-founder of the Pet Wellness Academy, explains. “These thoughts typically spiral into unrealistic negativity and this continues in a vicious cycle.” Kangas goes further into explaining how dogs provide a comforting companionship. Her and her group of colleges discussed whether or not having a dog for depression was a good idea and they come to the conclusion that it would help with so many more ways to help than doctors can even prescribe. It helps them have one focus and one responsibility. “A dog needs to be fed, needs to be walked, and needs to be pet, so on days when a person feels least motivated, a thump of a happy tail motivates a person to get back to living,” Demling says.

Along with an opportunity of responsibility, dogs also give their owners and companions unconditional love. After some studies, it was a unanimous agreement that 100% of the time, a dog does not judge when a person is depressed, anxious, lonely, wearing the same clothes as yesterday and can’t get out of bed. It makes people feel like they have a true friend during their difficulties.

One of the most important things about therapy dogs is that when working with people with depression, anxiety and almost any other disease, they are able to recognize signs of a panic attack or seizure coming. “The mere presence or non-reaction to a stimulus of a trusted companion often calms an attack,” Demling explains. “Dogs can also be trained to use passive methods to block strangers from approaching their handler unexpectedly.”

With someone to always be able to talk to, to be comforted at difficult times and for unconditional love without judgement, I believe that therapy dogs are a necessity in this wonderful world. Just think about how happy it will make someone feel, how they will have comfort that is difficult to find in people, as well as the smile on their face when they find a beautiful animal lying down next to them.

The Ringling Brothers recently promised to retire elephants in the circus after animal rights activists found out the way elephants were treated when they traveled with the circus and demanded them to be released. The circus used dangerous weapons to force the elephants to cooperate and they lived in harsh living conditions, while getting poorly taken care of. On March 6th the elephants performed their last show two years earlier than the scheduled date. In May they will be sent to a 200 acre preserve in Florida where they can finally be free and not have to perform for “The Greatest Show on Earth”.

The last 11 Asian elephants performing on Sunday, March 6th closed the curtain and are now living freely, with other elephants in a preserve where they will be cared for, and not punished or forced to perform. Maybe not, while they won’t be performing they will be undergoing medical research and animal testing because Dr. Shipman has studied elephants for a while now and realized elephants rarely get cancer so they should be medically tested. Stephen Payne, vice president of communications for Ringling Brothers said “We’re working with Dr. Shipman to see if we might be able to find novel new treatments for cancer for kids, and perhaps for everyone.” They will be forced to undergo tests and treatment to help everyone.

The elephants should not be tested at the preserve because they have been through alot and have worked basically their entire life. They should be free in the preserve like any other elephant in the wild. Elephants are already endangered and we don’t need unnecessary tests and to put anymore cruelty on these gentle giants that have already been through so much. That is not how an animal should live.

Ah, yes. The age old question- Which common household pet is superior? Typically, people hold a strong stance on either side, although some are indifferent and others prefer birds or something. However, obviously cats are the best. Hold on, sit down, dog lovers. I can hear you practically scrambling out of your chair, preemptively writing a comeback argument. And that’s fine! But just read and look over my reasons why before you type “Dogs are totally100 PLUS 20 percent better! Dogs deserve an A++!!” In my opinion, cats are better for three main reasons; They are self sustainable, quiet, and small.

Cats, compared to dogs, are self sustainable once they reach a certain age. You don’t have to let them in or out (Unless it’s an outdoor cat), and you don’t have to feed them every day. if you get a cat feeder and fill it with dry food, they can eat whenever they’re hungry.

Cats are also considerably quieter. Whenever you have guests over, you don’t see your cat jumping all over them. With dogs, that desk is probably going to get tackled, or at least get jumped on. They’ll also bark a lot, and generally make a lot of noise. Cats will stay quiet, and observe from afar, only approaching after some of the general commotion has died down.

Additionally, cats are better for people in apartments, due to their small size and general quietness. Even in a small apartment room, cats can find various ways to entertain themselves and not make too much noise- Assuming you’ve provided toys and the like for them, so that the cat doesn’t find entertainment out of tearing down your curtains. There are lots of toys that are sure to keep your little tiger entertained, many of which are at a reasonable price! My cats, Finnegan and Chase, are both rather active and playful. They really like the feather fishing-rod things, although they quickly eat the feather.

So there you have it- Now, dog lovers, you can release you reasons on why dogs are infinitely better than cats. Although I’m very sure they won’t convince me that dogs are better.

Maybe many of you like dogs, cats, or other animals more than horses, but did you know that horses may also be a human’s best friend? Before humans domesticate horses, they have been a source of food back then. The first modern horse horses dating back 3,000 years ago appeared in ancient Babylon. Horses have always been a faithful friend of humans. Going back to ancient times, soldiers fought on horsebacks. Nowadays, rather than riding on horses prior to war, horseback riding is mostly for fun, entertainment and competition.

Horses are definitely my favorite animal. Not only they are fun to ride on, but also the fact that they are a good and loyal pet that can work and help humans get their job done. Their grace and beauty about them makes them very likable. Horses are one true friend and companion of humans. A quick old fun fact,. Did you know that when horses look like they’re laughing, they’re actually engaging in a special nose-enhancing technique known as “flehmen,” to determine whether a smell is good or bad?

When I was little I always wanted to adopt a pitbull, in my personal opinion they were the cutest dogs around. That changed when my grandfather told me stories about pit bulls tearing each other apart and being used in dog rings. As I did some research I realized that these dogs had it tough, as there were many lies and misconceptions based around these dogs. Now I gotta say, there is some serious hate on these dogs. The myths range from the lie that pit bulls jaws lock when they bite onto something to pit bulls are the most likely dog to bite. Let me say that on a test taken on dogs behavior only 69.8% of Chihuahuas passed this test while 86.8% of American Pit Bull Terriers passed. Because of these myths it is extremely hard for a pit bull to get adopted. There is an average of 35,000 pit bulls in shelters (poor guys) around the world and as long as these lies keep spreading the number will only rise.

In my opinion, it is time to spread love to pit bulls as soon as possible. These dogs are extremely great friends and protectors, not dogs born to fight. I had a sit down talk with my grandfather and showed him all of the amazing things about pit bulls that I found online. I was able to change his viewpoint once he realized how great these pups are. Trust me, if my grandfather can be persuaded than we can truly change anyone’s thoughts on these dogs. If we do change the hate on the pit bull then just imagine all the good that would come from it. The average 35,000 pitbull in shelter rate would drop, all of those pups would get homes, and only we can accomplish that.

In San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, walking down the street is pretty normal, except for the constant sound of barking from up above. If you paused your walking and looked up, you would see dogs upon the roofs of many houses. Families in Mexico put their dogs on the roof of their home, so the dog can become a sort of watch dog, and look out over the street. Many people think families do this because they actually don’t have much room in their homes, which in some cases, is true, but for most these dogs serve as a sort of warning or alarm system.

Why do people need warnings and alarms? Why don’t they use another method instead of their pets? Isn’t this unsafe? What if the dogs fall off the roof? These are all questions that I personally have for people who make their dogs watch over the streets up on the rooftop. I think that this isn’t safe, and these dogs have a great risk for being injured. When some dogs see people or “intruders”, they bark and run around like crazy, which means that they could accidentally slip off the roof or jump off. In conclusion, leaving your dog on the roof to watch over your home is very dangerous and isn’t something that should be done.

I think most of us can agree that pets are just about as cute as it gets. But did you know that they can actually give their human companions health benefits? Not only do they lift our moods, but animals can go as far as to protect their families from serious health threats.

Did you ever have a bad day? Felt a little down? Just been in a downright grumpy mood? Well according to studies, pets can do a lot to improve your state in those instances. Just the fact that they always seem to be carefree and happy is enough to make most people’s spirits improve almost instantly. Besides that, no matter what you did that day, your pets will still treat you in the same open and loving way. Just this alone can do so much to help keep you positive and happy when you feel the whole world is against you. How does this all tie into benefits for pet owners? Attitude is aptitude they say! The more positive you feel, the more of a positive impact you will have in your relationships, work, and community. Pets can also help us to establish relationships, especially dogs. Many people love dogs, and would like to stop and pet them, which gives you something to talk about with their owner. It is also proven that people with pets are generally more open and trusting. As for sickness prevention, pets help to calm us down, which can do wonders for our health. Stress is a proven cause of some serious illnesses such as heart diseases and obesity. Petting an animal feels good, and can help to lower your blood pressure, as well us bring your stress down to reasonable level. Have a baby in the house? Animals can help with that too! Having a pet can actually help young children develop stronger immune systems, and are less likely to develop illnesses such as allergies or asthma. Go figure!

Personally, I think animals have a very positive impact on their families. Pets usually have a very calm and relaxed philosophy, and it is a wonderful thing that they can share that with their human families. I believe that they can truly help people in all the ways mentioned in this blog. I have always loved the effects my pets have on me, and now I know that there are many more amazing things animals can do for us, which I never imagined. I can personally relate to the idea of pets cheering up their human owners when they are feeling down. No matter what, your pets will treat you like nothing changed, or ever happened, and that can do so much to improve how you go through the rest of your day. I think that people should take advantage of these great qualities animals posses. There are so many animals that need homes, and nowadays it is fairly easy to adopt them. Remember, it will help you out in the long run. Next time you’re feeling down, think about a little furry friend!

Dogs are always great pets and when choosing them I recommend getting them from the pound or rescue center. But when choosing you need to be careful with your choices. If you chose correctly though, you can have a great pet. I will also go over the steps you need to take with this new pet. First you need to figure out what your situation at home is. Then you go and tell the assistant and they will direct you to the dogs that are suitable to your situation. After this you should choose the dog you like then take it home. If you would like, at most adoption center/pounds there is a 7 day testing where you can take the dog home and then take it back and get a refund if the dog does not fit your situation. Now you can see how your dog reacts to the new environment (home, apartment, etc) and then keep them if you like the dog. Some extra work may be needed to be taken for behavioral issues.

As for myself I think adopting a dog is an amazing thing for 3 reasons. The first one is that you are saving that dog’s life because if nobody adopts that dog then it could be euthanized (killed). The second reason is that the dog is a bundle of surprises like a birthday present but in a companion that can last forever. Yes in the beginning the dog may have a few issues but if they are not too severe then they can be fixed with a little bit of hard work. The third and final reason is that dogs are amazing animals and just getting the dog itself is a good reason! This is why dogs should be adopted from pounds and adoption centers. Maybe the next one found will be the one for you so go and check out the pound or adoption center near you.